3 Reasons an Impromptu Date Night is a Great Idea

Have you ever experienced an impromptu date night? We recently did, and it was the best idea we’ve had in a long time! Keep reading to find out more… 

This year my husband and I are celebrating 10 years of marriage! It still blows my mind that we’ve been together for a total of 16 years. I have to be honest, it does not seem like yesterday that we got married or met in the parking lot after a church youth group. It really does seem like a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong. I remember both the day we met and the day we wed like it was yesterday, but yesterday seems so far away.

Maybe it’s because after growing our family and bringing two amazing kids into this world, connecting on a regular basis seems like orchestrating a big concert. Sure, after the first kid date nights were still pretty frequent, but the thought of leaving two rambunctious kids at my parent’s house once a week started to seem like cruel and unusual punishment.

Thank God my family loves our little ones otherwise even the shortest date nights would never happen.

After all these years we are still working on putting each other first and making time to connect as husband and wife. And although date nights have become few and far between we still manage to get some time in every once in a while. Some are planned, some are short and sweet, but lately they’ve been impromptu. And those have proven to be the best kind!

Our Impromptu Date Night

Over the summer we would drop the kids off at my parent’s house so we could go to jiu jitsu together. We loved being able to get out and work out as a couple. It’s something we’ve put off for a long time, but something we both really wanted to work on.

One night we decided to skip training and head out for an impromptu date night. I was really looking forward to attending class to work out my aggression from a long week. I knew my husband had also been going through some changes at work too. Naturally I thought it would be another day at The Stronghold Gym. But, on his way home my husband called me and said, “Let’s go out tonight!”

Normally I’d be all about going out, but we’ve been working on being accountable for one another, especially when it came to jiu jitsu. I fought him about it for a while and kept asking if he was sure. Finally, he said, “we hardly get this time together, when are we going to have it again?!”

That’s when I realized I needed to be happy that he was suggesting and planning this impromptu date night. All my husband wanted was some quality time with his wife, and here I was pushing him away like I didn’t like the idea. I got my priorities straight before he changed his mind and went with it, and I’m so glad I did.

We spent the evening in one of our favorite spots in San Diego, Little Italy. I had been craving some real pizza from Isola Pizza Bar. Oh my goodness, if you haven’t been here you need to pay them a visit. They are in Little Italy and La Jolla now.

We started out with a plate of burrata mozzarella with parma prosciutto, complete with creamy burrata, heirloom tomatoes, basil-olive oil, sea-salt. It was divine. We also had a side of verdure al forno which are wood roasted veggies with goat cheese and garlic confit. My husband and I are big meat eaters so for our main course we shared the quattro carni pizza topped with fennel sausage, salame, pancetta, guanciale, mozzarella, tomato sauce! I am drooling just thinking about it. I’m telling you just go there, you can thank me later.

Anyway, the whole time I kept telling my husband, “This tastes so good!” Obviously it was the food, but a big part of it was the fact that this meal was just between us. No kids. No distractions. Just a husband and wife, falling in love again over a delicious meal.

We like to switch things up for dessert so we moved the party a few blocks away! It made for a fun adventure. Although I love Isola’s Budino, Daddy’s craving was for the Tres Leches cake with coffee from Extraordinary Desserts.

It was the perfect way to end the night. And their address of 1430 Union Street was my funny little sign that I had made the right choice to go. Remember when 143 back in the day meant, I Love You? Yeah, I know I’m dating myself. Anyway, it was nice to not feel rushed and to enjoy a night out for ourselves. To not think about our problems and responsibilities as adults, but rather just indulge in the goodness of life and each other. It’s one date I won’t soon forget. Look at how happy were are!

Why an Impromptu Date Night is a Great Idea

After enjoying this fabulous night out with my husband I just had to share. It’s not a secret, but it is something worth being reminded about. So here are the three reasons why I, after being married for 10 years, think an impromptu date night is a great idea!

1. Because sometimes plans just don’t work out. Have you ever planned an elaborate date night only to have to cancel because someone got sick or your baby sitter bailed? The idea of a planned date is great and I always encourage couples to do this because sometimes plans do work out. But when they don’t it can be very disappointing, discouraging even. Especially when you’ve build so much anticipation. Impromptu date nights have a way of setting off a spark. The thought of going out unexpectedly is exciting which brings me to my next point.

2. It promotes spontaneity and adventure. Agreeing to an impromptu date night is a good idea because it brings back an element of spontaneity and adventure that has probably been missing in your marriage. The excitement may recall a memory of how date nights used to be before kids, or back when you were dating. These memories and feelings are enough to reignite a special spark in your relationship and help you connect on a deeper level.

3. They’re the most memorable. Because impromptu date nights are unexpected and exciting they easily become the most memorable. When you don’t plan, you have no choice but live in the moment, make decisions on the fly and hope for the best. These moments are special between you and your spouse that will carry you for years, or at least until your next impromptu date night.

I hope this post inspires you to get out there and date your spouse. It doesn’t matter what you do, just go and make your love a priority. Schedule date night, but make room for the unexpected. Keep an eye out for opportunities to have an impromptu date night, and paint the town red…together!

How do you date your spouse? Do you plan or do you take a more spontaneous route?